Savage
by KreinReign
Summary: It was just one of those days for Link. One of those days where your friend stole your horse again... One of those days where the kids wouldn't stop bugging you... One of those days where you turned into a wolf in front of your entire village... Wait. No. That wasn't supposed to happen.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey!**

 **Look!**

 **Listen!**

 **(A/N): This is my first fanfiction on this site! I'm so excited to start! Before we begin, I'd like to answer any questions you have.**

 **To find info about my updating schedule and other information, look at my profile, please.**

 **Yes, I will respond to all (or at least most) of the reviews on my stories.**

 **Why is this rated T? It could be rated K, but I have decided that if this gets even a single review telling me to, I will continue this story, and at that point it will be rated T without a doubt because violence and blood and swearing. Even so, it has some swearing already, so...**

 **Also… I do not own the Legend of Zelda or Nintendo! If I did, we would've made Twilight Princess HD already and I would own a Wii U. Let's begin!**

 _ **-** Hey! Listen!-_

It was just one of those days for Link. One of those days where you overslept, then couldn't wake up… One of those days where the sheep were being so stubborn, and your only helper refused to help you. One of those days where your friend stole your horse again, and refused to give it back until you begged her. One of those days where the kids wouldn't stop bugging you.

One of those days where you turned into a wolf in front of your entire village…

Wait.

No.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

It all started when Fado had woken Link up. At first, it seemed like a normal day. It might even seem to be the perfect day at first glance. The sun wasn't shining in Link's eyes unlike when he usually woke up. Maybe today would finally be the day everything would go right, and he would finally have some free time.

"Heeeeyy! Link! Get up!"

A small moan escaped Link as he sat up in his bed. He leaped out of bed quickly, blood rushing to his head. He scuffled over to the window, and after quickly fixing his hair, stuck his head outside.

"What do you want, Fado?" The hero questioned.

"Link!" Fado glanced around to look at the sun. "It's nearly ten! Where have you been?"

Fado glanced up to the window again after he had finished talking, but Link was gone.

"Crap!" Link cried, as he scuffled around his house. He threw on his tunic and grabbed his wallet and sword. Once prepared, he rushed out of his house as quickly as possible, scrambled down the ladder, and skid to a hasty stop right in front of Fado.

Epona, who was tied to the small tree next to Link's house only snorted and pawed the ground.

"What were you doing that kept you in?" The large goat herder asked slyly, crossing his arms and scowling at Link, who was at this point untying the rope tied to the tree on Epona's holster.

"I wasn't doing anything important." Link mumbled. Epona swat him with her tail. Link sighed as he dropped the mare's holster to the ground, and turned to get her reins. "Okay, fine. I overslept."

"You should know better at this point." Fado frowned, and shifted his weight from foot to foot impatiently.

"I know I should." Link said, emotionless. He grabbed Epona's saddle and began to tighten the girth around her stomach. He frowned. "But I really can't help it."

"Then we need to get you a cuckoo." Fado smirked.

"What for?" Link frowned. With Epona finally geared up, he spun on one foot to face the smug goat keeper.

"Maybe they'll crow at you in the morning." This finally got Link to smile.

"Yea, I'll love them, and bathe them, and be sure to use them to help herd the goats all day. When they gang up and peck my eyes out, I'll be sure to thank you."

Epona simply snorted as the two men headed to the ranch, and she plodded on along behind them.

 _-Hey! Listen!-_

"Dang it!" Link hissed under his breath. One goat. One goddess forsaken goat stood in the fields, horns low to the ground, hoof pawing the ground slowly.

The goats had been cooperating and had actually gotten in the barn fairly quickly today. Link neatly and quickly finished, and was about to jump over the fence to leave the ranch again, when Fado let out his famous: "Heeeeyy!" and pointed out a single goat that Link had just managed to miss.

At first, Link just laughed, and turned Epona quickly to circle around the front of the goat. He had shouted at it once, expecting it to flee into the barn. But it didn't.

Now, it was testing the limits of Epona and Link.

While the hero and his horse had no doubts they could handle the goat if it did charge them in the rock covered field, they clearly had no desire for anything of the sort to happen. Besides, it would be the first time a goat charged. Link didn't know just how smart these goats were, but if he were to guess, the other goats would take this as an example to live by.

Epona slowed to a halt a few meters away from the testy animal. "Hey, Fado!" Link called to the farmer, who was lounging just outside of the field. "You wanna handle this one?" Fado glanced inside the pen, then frowned and shouted back, "Nooo!"

It was this shout which pushed the goat over the edge. Over one hundred pounds of terrified buck flew towards Link and Epona, horns forward, bleating for it's life's worth.

At the last moment, Link let out a shout, and it turned skittishly away, and flew into the barn.

Apparently he hadn't acted soon enough for Epona.

The chestnut mare squealed and reared up, higher than Link could remember her ever doing so in recent memory. With a small leap, she bounded forward.

With Link still unbalanced from the fact that his perfectly trained horse had reared up in fear, her small bound was enough to knock him from the saddle and to the ground with a small thud.

He had landed on his left side.

And on a rock.

Wonderful.

Fado was now awake and alert. He slid between the fence, ungracefully but quickly, and rushed to Link's side.

"Are you okay?" He said nervously, worry evident in his voice.

Link began to sit up, and he nodded. "I'm sure I'll be good to go in a few minutes…" Link looked up to Fado. His arm was sore, and there was a slight sting, but otherwise, he felt fine. Apparently, the rancher did not feel the same way.

Epona was now circling back around toward the two herders, her head high and nostrils flaring.

"Link…" Fado frowned, a worried expression plastered on his face.

The young hero only responded by dusting himself off and standing up to look over to Epona. "It's not your fault…" He whispered soothingly. Only then did he turn to Fado. "Yeah?" He questioned softly, as to not spook the jumpy mare again.

Fado slowly lifted a quivering finger to point to Link's shoulder.

Blood pulsed from a small gash in his tunic, and Link simply frowned in response. "Well that'll need fixing, won't it?"

On the way back to the village, Link had to attempt to handle Epona with his right hand, which he found frustratingly difficult.

Fado led the way, clearing stray branches in the forest, and looking back to check on Link occasionally. He still appeared nervous, but he had seemed to get a grip quickly enough.

 _ **Damn horse… Frustrating isn't it?**_

Link froze, his blood turning cold.

 _ **Why don't you come with me?**_

Sly, evil thoughts crept into the young hero's mind.

 _ **Just reach into your pocket…**_

No. He wouldn't. He shoved the messages out of his head.

Since the twilight had receded, he had only turned into the beast occasionally, usually to hunt for his village or to patrol close areas of Hyrule. Only once had he turned into the blue-eyed-beast for his own self-indulgence.

The crystal in his pocket pulsed with a radiating darkness, begging his hand to simply touch it. There wasn't time for that. He had to get home. With a small grunt, Link pushed forward.

 _-Hey! Listen!-_

"Link! Get up! It's afternoon already!"

The young hero's head spun to his window. He recognized those voices. That was Talo without the shadow of a doubt.

Link sighed, and turned back to what his focus had been on. For nearly an hour he had been staring at the Shadow Crystal. Next to it sat a rather peciluar looking arrow that was trustfully filled with some of the Light Spirit's power so he could change back at will. He had gotten it from Zelda, a leftover from his fight with Ganon, so he wouldn't have so many issues since he needed the power of light to help him turn back into a human.

His arm had been fixed, thanks to Rusl, who happened to be there at the time, and he had been scolded by Ilia, who also happened to be there. It didn't hurt too much, but it was sore and stung slightly every time he moved his arm.

Pushing himself off the floor, with his right arm, mind you, he made his was over to the door of his home. He headed outside, climbed down the ladder with less grace than usual, and headed toward the kids. The very first thing he noticed, was that Epona was gone again.

"There you are!" Talo shouted. "You won't guess what's going on today!"

Link simply shook his head, playing along, while waiting for a good excuse to come to mind to go get Epona.

"Mr. Rusl says he's gonna teach us to hunt!"

Beth stood by the young boy's side, Colin behind them.

"He says we need to defend ourselves." Beth snorted. "He never said he'd teach us to hunt."

"He did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"That's great." Link interrupted, not wanting their feud to cause another one of them to get kidnapped again. Today was not his day. Everything seemed to go wrong, and now Epona was gone.

"I'd like to teach you some things, but I really need Epona…" the hero said, tone slightly agitated.

While the kids seemed disappointed, they all handled it fairly well. "Okay then…" Colin smiled at Link. "We understand. Go get your horse."

Finally the goddess smiled upon him in the form of Colin as he left for the spring, praying that's where Epona would be with Ilia if anywhere.

When Link finally found his way to the spring, he was mildly surprised to see the gate wasn't locked shut. Without hesitating, he strode into the spring to find Ilia washing Epona.

"Ilia!" Link shouted across the spring. "I need my horse back!" To which Ilia responded: "Link!" She hissed. "You hurt your horse again!" Link only sighed after he heard this, and he prepared for a scolding.

Ilia stood persistent as ever, not budging one inch from where she stood as the fabled and legendary hero of the twilight, destroyer of evil, and Ganondorf's slayer approached.

"What do I have to do to get her back?" Link sighed.

"You're gonna have to beg for her, _hero."_

Link placed his head in his palm. He was partially happy he had left the crystal behind. He was pretty sure the darkness inside of it would've conned him into going into a bloody rampage at this point. "Well excuse me, _princess."_

Ilia stood erect, her shoulders stiffening. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, _your majesty."_ Link bowed low, his tone full of mocking. "Please, allow me to grovel for your forgiveness."

"Why you-!" Ilia began, before Link cut her off. "Tsk, tsk, watch that mouth. What would your subjects say." At this point he was just teasing and playing along, but he really longed for her to get the message.

Ilia's face twisted into mock rage. "Down with you, for commanding me so! Guards!" She gestured to Epona, and then gently nudged her back leg. With a small splash, Epona stomped in slight discomfort and sprayed water all over Link.

Agitation crept up the hero's spine, but he disregarded it. "May I have my horse back now?" He frowned, glancing through dark blond locks of hair that fell dripping in front of his face. Ilia folded her arms crossly. "I don't see any groveling..."

Link sighed. "Is that seriously the only way you're gonna give me my own horse back?" Ilia slowly nodded her head. "This better be worth it, Epona." He grumbled, folding on one knee. He ducked his head to complete the act.

"May I _please_ have Epona back, now?"

Ilia burst out laughing. "You know, you didn't have to really do that." She kept laughing, as Link scrambled to his feet. "But I'm kind of happy that you did."

"Oh woe is me!" Link cried, in an attempt to play it off. "How shamed I must be!"

Inside, rage burned viciously. With each movement he faked, a small sting resounded in his shoulder. First he overslept, then got charged by a goat, hurt himself, got annoyed profusely by kids no less, and now was groveling to get his horse back.

With a small huff, he snatched the reins from Ilia and stomped off.

 _-Hey! Listen!-_

 **Touch me.**

Link huffed, and scooted farther away from the crystal.

 **C'mon.**

"No."

 **You know you want to.**

"I won't"

 **But remember the feel of the power...**

"Stop it..."

 **The feeling of fur...**

"Please..."

 **The thrill of battle...**

"I can't!"

Link yelled at the opposing crystal. "I promised myself..."

 **You promised yourself nothing!** The crystal vibrated violently. **You ruined yourself!** Link cowered in the corner. He just needed it to stop...

 **You ruined any chance you had at power.** The small diamond shook so rapidly, it forced itself off the table onto the floor. **We can become legends!** The dark power radiated off of it's surface, begging Link to bend to it's will.

"I won't!" Link shouted.

 **But you can! Think of all you can do! You can even get back at your... _friends._**

Link froze. It was true he was getting fed up more and more each day with the villagers. His journey had changed him and his views, but he didn't want it to change them too... He couldn't. They were too innocent for him to ruin their lives.

A sudden knock at the door distracted the hero. With a sigh of relief, he picked up the crystal by the cord it was attached to, and stuffed it in his pocket, then grabbed the arrow and shoved it in the opposite pocket.

Slowly, the door creaked open to reveal a very enraged Talo, laughing Beth, and silent Colin. For a moment, Link questioned how they had all managed to fit on the small balcony like platform that the ladder was attached to, but he ignored that fact. "What do you need?" He questioned, turning to Beth. "And what on Hyrule are you laughing about?"

Beth managed to regain herself for a moment to sputter out. "Talo can't even use a slingshot!"

 _ **So what?**_

Talo's ears turned a bright red. "I can! And it's not that hard, either!"

 ** _Feel the power..._**

The girl only smirked and rolled her eyes. "Sure, you can handle it so well."

 ** _Ripping flesh between your teeth..._**

"Shut up."

"Anyways..." Beth continued. "Mr. Rusl asked us to see if you wanted to come outside. The village is all outside, except..." The young girl trailed off. Link nodded in understanding. "I'll be out in a minute."

The door slammed shut, and Link fell to the ground in a heap. "Why does everything have to be so difficult?"

 **It wouldn't be so hard if you listened and submit like I told you.**

The young hero grunted, and gathered himself. With a small sigh, he turned to leave, but when he opened the door, the crystal began vibrating again.

 _ **I'm going to make this night your own personal Hell.**_

Link ignored it and headed down the ladder, past Epona and down the same narrow path to the village, the crystal taunting him all the way. He tried to force the thoughts away, to make them stop, but he just couldn't will them away.

As Link headed to the village, he was still attempting to fling the insults from the (recently discovered quite vulgar) crystal of twilight. Each tree and branch seemed to whisper about him in the darkness. The leaves hissed coarse terms in the wind. To any other person, it might have been a quick walk to the village with beautiful scenery.

To Link, each branch and tuft of grass appeared to lean in, poking and prodding him as he dragged his feet to the other people. It was the longest walk he had ever made in his life.

When the disgruntled hero finally found his way to the village he stopped very suddenly. Everything seemed so... Loud. It was loud, obnoxious, and a headache to listen to. _Probably just the crystal doing something stupid..._ He pondered to himself.

 _ **I could hear that.**_

He heaved a sigh. He satisfied himself by jamming his fists into his pockets, gently rubbing the leather cord connected to the crystal. If it got lost, there was no telling what sort of mess would break out.

With the crystal finally shut up for one minute (minus his snarky comments about hearing every thought), Link took the opportunity to look around the village again.

The kids were splashing around in the stream, except for Colin, who chose to fish with another one of his homemade fishing rods that held a surprising amount of quality. They were the ones making most of the noise...

Ilia and Rusl were off to the side of where the children were, talking about... Whatever they talked about... Link could never be sure.

Pergie and Sera were just outside of Sera's shop. Uli, however, was nowhere in sight. Link simply assumed having a newborn would be enough reason to stay inside. On the other hand, Jaggle, Hanch and Fado were a few feet away from the women. Hanch was giving some sort of exaggerated speech, with large hand movements. It seemed off. Typically, Hanch would stand to the side and let the others tell their stories, not him.

The young hero made his way toward them. This was definitely not going to be something to miss. However, as he came nearer and nearer, he seemed to remember the tale he spoke of.

"-and the huge brute dodged it, wouldn't you know! And then I was thinkin'... 'What sort of beast does that!..."

He was telling the story about him on the night the children got stolen. Though it seemed odd to say stolen about a human, that was basically what happened. It was different, so it couldn't be the exact same as a kidnapping.

Link tuned out, still approaching slowly. He came up behind Fado just as slow, as to not startle Hanch. If he stopped talking now, Link would never get him talking again. When he was close enough to hear each word without having to question if what he heard was actually what was being said. Link poked his head out from behind Fado, and slid to the side slightly to join the circle of men.

"And you know what it did then? The monster came up right behind me! It was right there, lookin' at me! I was so scared, I leaped right into the river!"

Link slipped his fists out of his pockets, noticing the crystal's agitation flowing off of it as he retreated. _Don't think about it..._ He scolded himself. _Just ignore it..._ "Hey, whatchya guys talking about?"

Jaggle perked up and looked up to Link. "Yo! We were just talking about the night the children were taken off!" He looked back to Hanch expectantly. "Apparently this guy here-" He stopped to give a quick gesture to Hanch before looking back to Link. "-had a rather scary encounter with a beast that night!" Hanch nodded quickly to approve. "Oh really?" Link lied. "I hadn't heard..."

"Nonsense!"

Link turned around to see Rusl approaching from behind. "You didn't see anything, you were probably hallucinating." The tall man made his way beside Link. "I'll admit though, if your tall tales managed to get this sleepyhead awake, tell them all you want." Rusl planted a firm hand on the young hero's left shoulder. Link flinched slightly at the jerk of his injured arm. "That's so flattering of you to say, Rusl."

" _My boy_ , that's my job!"

"Your job is to be creepy and teased for a single line you say?"

The older man only laughed in response. Link frowned. "What did you want, anyways? I was told you wanted me out here."

"Ah, yes." Rusl straightened up again, taking his hand off of Link's shoulder. "It's just nice to have you around! The children are asking about you again, so why not have you out here? Besides, it's a lovely day!" Link glanced up to the sky. The sky was a pale blue, minus the slight pink tinges as the sun began to creep under the horizon's blanket of trees.

"Link!" A familiar voice cried out. "There you are!" Ilia huffed, making her way swiftly to where the group was standing. Fado and Hanch took a few steps back. Ilia could do some damage if you weren't careful. "We've all been wanting to see you!" She grabbed his hand, her soft skin holding a surprisingly firm grip on his.

She began to jog away, Link forced to go with her. He couldn't help but notice that as they walked, the constant pressure from the crystal suddenly evaporated. He perked up slightly.

"Come over here and spend some time with us!" Ilia said, making her way over to the river where she was originally stationed. Talo and Beth were gone, both running past the two in a flurry, Beth shouting something about getting her hair wet.

Ilia dragged Link down to the bank of the river in a small cloud of dust.

"So I heard you fell off of Epona today."

"Yea."

"I guess that's how she got hurt."

"Yea."

"But I guess you got hurt too.."

"Yea."

"And I shouldn't have made you grovel for your horse."

"Yea."

Ilia tuned her head to look at the hero. "Are you gonna say anything but that?"

Link looked right back. "Is that supposed to be a trick question?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I said anything else, it would be an automatic yes, but if I just kept saying yea, it would be confirming I'd say something else."

Ilia shook her head and chuckled. "Boy, someone's talkative today." Link smiled and nodded. "I guess I'm just happier now for some reason." The young girl looked back at the famed hero, raising an eyebrow. "Yep, that's definitely it." Link looked toward Colin, who was fighting to hold on to his rod. "Maybe it's because of how peaceful it is without the other kids." He joked in a playful manner.

Ilia smiled and looked back to where Talo and Beth were. She pointed to them quickly. "I wouldn't hold your breath." The two were arguing over something laying on the ground, Talo threatening to poke it with a long stick while Beth screamed every time the twig got close to poking the small object.

Link let a smile take over his face. "Those two will never learn..." He sighed as him and Ilia looked on.

"I wonder what they're looking at." Ilia wondered aloud. The young hero stood up, offering the girl a hand up, still smiling. "Well let's go find out, shall we?" Ilia grasped his hand and heaved herself up. "Why not?"

The two walked side by side to where the two children were standing. Link just kept smiling, but he couldn't stop himself. Nothing could ruin this moment. The arrow in his pocket was reliable as ever, glowing slightly and giving off good energy. Finally, the duo stood tall behind the two children. Ilia crouched down to meet eye level with the two, automatically shifting personalities.

Link had always found it weird how she had the uncanny ability to suddenly go from giving him the cold shoulder to smiling and laughing with the children in mere seconds, but he could think about that another time. For now, he was more intent on what exactly the children were inspecting. He was just about to crouch down next to Ilia, but something was off... Mayor Bo was talking with Rusl now, but there was something else bugging the hero.

Everything felt empty. It felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing. Yet, everyone was in their rightful place, and there were no traces of monsters around. It was a sucking feeling, like a mud that wouldn't let go. Link crouched down next to Ilia to look at what the children were so intrigued about.

 _Fuck._

 ** _Miss me, hero?_**

There on the ground, vibrant as ever, lay the crystal of twilight, softly glowing in the shadows of the children.

"I'm gonna touch it!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

The squabbling of the two children brought Link back to reality. The crystal must have fallen out of his pocket.

Ilia frowned and looked down at the pulsing crystal. Something wasn't normal about it. There was something that set it off. She stood up, taking a step back. This certainly wasn't something she wanted to handle. She looked behind her shoulder. "Hey, Rusl, would you come and look at this?"

Mayor Bo stopped talking and glanced from Rusl to Ilia. "What could be the matter?" He huffed, stubbornly. "Surely there isn't anything wrong on such a fine day!"

At this point, the rest of the village turned their heads slightly to look at the commotion near the center of the village. Jaggle and Fado slowly started approaching, while Hanch just stayed in the back of the two larger men.

Link honestly didn't know what to do. If he claimed it, or just took it, Ilia would obviously suspect something and bombard him with questions. The young hero squinted to get a better look. He couldn't risk getting close to touching it. Link's blood ran cold when his suspicions were confirmed. Yep, the leather cord was gone. Now even if he wanted to grab it, he couldn't.

Link's thoughts began to wander, thinking of all the bad turnouts that could become reality from the situation. If anyone touched it, they'd be turned into a spirit, but if he dared to claim it, he would turn into the blue eyed beast in front of everyone. No one needed to see that... They would think of him as a monster.

"Link? Hello? Anyone awake in there?"

Ilia's voice snapped the hero awake. Turned out he had been standing there for over a minute while Rusl had approached from behind. Now, he was crouched on the ground, observing the small stone. Everyone's eyes were glued to the scene. Rusl frowned, squinting at the crystal, looking at it's detailed designs and steady pulse of light it radiated. "What a peculiar stone..." Rusl said, just loud enough for a few close to hear.

Rusl reached down to grab the crystal. Thoughts raced a mile a minute through Link's mind. Sure, he would have some explaining to do, but if he didn't actually touch the stone, he wouldn't turn into a wolf. Surely he could jump his way past the questions for the most part without letting anything too big slip...

"Wait!" Link cried.

The man's hand stopped, frozen just a few inches away from the crystal. The entire village's eyes turned to look at the hero, his hand diving toward Rusl and the small stone. Ilia shifted her weight, obviously impatient. "What is it, Link?" She said clearly. Her voice echoed in the young hero's head. What was he doing? And how was he going to pick up the crystal.

Link glanced around, nervous. "I... um..." _Say something, idiot!_ "That crystal... is mine! And it's very fragile, so..."

Link's head whipped around, searching for anything to help him out. Not a few feet off from where he stood was a pile a strong looking leaves. With a gallant sweep, he snatched one from the pile and lined his palm with it. He reached down and plucked the crystal from the dirt. The lining protecting him from the crystal's energy was weak and thin, so immediately the crystal's voice came into his head, spitting vulgar terms.

 ** _You whiny son of a bitch, losing me like some random animal. Oh wait, you are one. The second I get through to you, I'm gonna make you find that Goddess-damned sword and shove it up your-_**

"Sweet! Can I see it?" A young voice interrupted the crystal's speech. "I wanna look at it, too!" Beth cut off Talo from finishing.

The two proceeded to have a huge argument over looking at the crystal. Link simply folded the leaf around the stone in a protective manner. Ilia looked over his shoulder as he did, noticing how careful he was handling it. He was just about to make a quick move to shove it into his pocket again when Ilia stopped him suddenly. "Hey, why don't we get a good look at that thing?"

Link froze suddenly, not moving a muscle. He was perfectly silent until Talo butted in. "Yea, why can't we see it?"

"Uh..."

Ilia crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not like it's the most important thing in the world." She cocked her head to the right in a loose manner. "So why don't you show us?" At this point Talo and Beth were practically jumping up and down. "Yea, show us, show us!" Talo begged. He reached up and grabbed the hero's left sleeve, still begging. "Please, Mr. Link!" He tugged gently on the young hero's sleeve a few times, jerking his arm around a little.

Link should have been concerned about his arm. He should have been worrying about his wound getting worse by the minute. He should have been hissing in slight pain... But he didn't. The hero's pupils dilated, fear filling his mind.

"Shit."

A few of the onlookers gasped, most others reeling back in shock. Talo dropped his arm and took a step back. Link never swore. Most times he would stay quiet, or replace words with other, quite hilarious, words. This was not most times.

Link only stared at his hand. When Talo had jerked his arm around, his hand had roughly moved around the crystal, and the leaf tore weakly on one of the crystal's sharp edges, exposing the hero to the crystal's full power.

A resounding gasp echoed around the silent village as Link collapsed onto all fours. The light arrow slipped from the hero's pocket as he fell, and Ilia immediately snatched it from the ground.

A small puff of dust rose when Link collapsed, his breathing labored and uneven. Very quickly and suddenly, the hero's hands thickened into paws, and his nails sharpened into claws. His legs and bones snapped and changed into a new order, his very physical being morphed. His teeth grew long and sharp, while his eyes deepened into a darker and more feral shade of blue. Finally, thick fur enveloped the new form to complete the transformation.

Where Link once stood was a beast. A feral and blue eyed monster had taken the place of Ordon's most famed villager and the hero of all Hyrule.

"That's the monster I saw!"

Colin screamed, and the other children scrambled to hide behind the adults. Everyone moved backwards quickly, fear thick in the air. With his heightened senses, Link could tell everyone was scared. Everyone feared him like they would any other old monster, because he was a monster. He could sense, that to them, he was changed. He could no longer think, and he didn't know what to do about it.

"Link..." Rusl dropped into a crouch, grabbing the Ordon sword from his belt. Link had returned it to him. Link... not the beast that stood before him. That was not Link. Something had taken control of him, that was all...

"Link... don't move..." The man whispered, as he moved forward in a stealthy manner. Oh, but the blue eyed beast knew better. It moved backwards, the two moving in a synchronized pattern. Rusl moved swiftly, coming forward in a swift motion, the flat side of his sword racing toward the monster swiftly.

The large wolf leaped backwards quickly, dodging the gesture easily. Rusl frowned, and the rest of the village continued looking on in fear, too afraid to move with wide eyes.

With the short amount of time Link had before another stunning attack was flung his way, the hero had turn tail and run. He didn't know what would happen if he was caught, but with his lack of communication handicap, he had the idea he wouldn't like it.

Without a glance back, the monster, blue-eyed beast, and hero of twilight disappeared like a shadow into the bushes, leaving his village and home behind.

 _-Hey! Listen!-_

 **Holy crap that was over 5000 words.**

 **I'm gonna tell you now, not all of my one-shots or chapters are even half as long as this.**

 **Also, I got some explainin' to do, so I'll cut to the chase.**

 **A few scenes I shoved in because I wanted to, like the scene in the spring. So bite me, I like it.**

 **I also put a reference to the CDI games and TV show in there. Those who can find it get a virtual cookie.**

 **Finally, I said this once and I'll say it again...**

 **If any one single review tells me to continue this, I will. I got some good ideas up in here. I will also respond to most, if not all, reviews. I would appreciate some help because Link is so OOC ohmygodijustcanteven.**

 **Much love and happy holidays!**

 **-KreignReign**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey!**

 **Look!**

 **Listen!**

 **(A/N): HELL YEA IT'S MIDNIGHT, I'M TOTALLY POSTING THIS!**

 **Well hello there... Welcome back. Well, I took a break because this story was published at a weird time, so... here I am on a Sunday after! My profile has been updated with an official schedule, so check that out.**

 **Aye', I'd like to warn ye' readers now... Really stretching the T rating here. Let me know if I should upgrade. Gruesome stuffz ahead. You've been warned. Then again... I am very squeamish, so take your own judgement here.**

 **Either way, I would like to thank Rex88 and FadingSunlight for their epic encouragement, and especially NoSignalBlueScreen for helping me out with this story. Reviews really are the most encouraging things. Either way, let's get rollin'!**

-Hey! Listen!-

Rusl placed his hand on his forehead, pushing his hair back slightly. Not fifteen minutes ago, their most famous villager had... No. A feral beast had been circling Rusl, who had in turn tried to stun the monster. Apparently, the brute hadn't been as unintelligent as Rusl had first imagined. It had shifted in a great movement to avoid the sword before it turned tail and ran into the forest.

Almost immediately a meeting was called to discuss what just happened, exactly. The women and children had stayed inside their own homes, minus Colin, who refused to leave Rusl's side since the monster left. Even as clear stripes of pink and violet streaked the sky as twilight approached, the rest of the villagers gathered to discuss their next plan of action. Though the meeting was supposed to be outside, a cooling wind flushed the residents into the mayor's hut. Everyone inside gathered in the small back room around the sumo ring. It was a little cramped, but everyone still fit easily. It was a small village after all.

Rusl glanced around the small area nervously. Though the small congregation of people knew they were safe, there was something to set it off. Typically Link would attend meeting like this. Now, there was a small gap where the hero should have been stationed. Colin had taken up some free space, but there was still that gap. It seemed to yawn ominously and radiate cold air. It wasn't normal. It was unnatural.

The other men seemed unsettled too. Jaggle shuffled their feet nervously occasionally and shifted their weight constantly. Poor Hanch was more jumpy than ever, and jumped at the slightest creak of the floorboards. Fado only stared at his feet, and Bo glanced around at the other men, a grim look plastered to his face. It was silent, the small whimpers from Colin clinging to Rusl being the only noise until Bo let out a sigh and began talking.

"Well..." He said weakly, placing his right hand to his forehead. "It looks like we have quite the situation on our hands..."

Fado glanced up, his eyes broadcasting his dismay to everyone. He couldn't even try to hide it if he wanted. He had grown attached to the young hero quickly. Heck, he saw him every day when he helped to herd the goats every morning. He tried to smile, but only managed in a fake looking half-cracked smile. "If you call what I just saw a small "situation" you may be on to something." Nobody moved a muscle, disregarding his comment. Fado caught on quickly and went back to inspecting his shoes, smile dropping quickly.

Bo dropped his hand beside him. He'd admit, it had scared him something fierce when Link collapsed. But now was not the time to reflect. Now was the time for action, and it was time to keep the peace. Panic would literally tear the village apart. If even one villager was out, it would cost them all plenty. Bo put his hand down onto the sumo ring currently acting as a table. "Well… We need to find him, first of all."

Rusl perked up. This was his sort of thing. He had learned plenty about organizing search parties, and hunting parties for animals. He looked to Bo, a small pleading in his eyes. Bo met his gaze, his full of panic and fear. He kept his mask of calm so that things wouldn't all turn to worse, but he silently allowed Rusl to organize the parties, praying that he had made the right decision. Rusl could get a bit… passionate... about things when it came to friends or family.

Rusl placed his palms face down on the table. He seemed to grow five feet and take on a controlling aura as he took on leadership of the meeting. All the men shifted their gazes quickly to look at the man. He stared down Jaggle and Hanch dangerously, already preparing to assign jobs to each citizen. Hanch fidgeted more under his gaze, but Jaggle remained unaffected.

"Jaggle, Hanch, you'll be staying here." Hanch seemed to loose 1,000 pounds of tension from his shoulders, while Jaggle just crossed his arms. "Hanch," Rusl looked to the smaller man. "I want you to do research and find out anything you can about what happened." The man nodded, taking on his new job with pride. At least it was something he could do! Rusl continued on, ignoring the stares from all the others. "I think what happened would have to be some sort of possession. Ilia has a rather odd arrow from Link, talk to her about that."

"And you, Jaggle." The short man jumped a little when he was addressed. He looked at Rusl, determination in his eyes. There was no telling what sort of super important job he would get. "You'll be on lookout." The man slumped down a little, disappointed. Rusl kept talking, attempting to disregard his reaction. "I want you to check up on everyone..." Jaggle started to tune out. What was so exciting about that job? "And..." Jaggle perked up once more. Maybe there was a better side to this. "I want you to check out Link's house." Justice was served! The short man tried not to smile. This job just got a whole lot better...

"Finally, Bo, Fado, and I will split up and look for the wolf." Rusl's eyes darkened suddenly. "We are to capture it, no more, no less." Fado and Bo nodded, not needing any more instruction. Bo would probably go out weaponless and attempt to tackle the poor creature, and Fado would take too many weapons. Rusl, however, could cope with a sword, shield, and a bow. With a slight nod, Rusl dismissed the men to their jobs. The congregation dispersed quickly, except for one member.

"Dad..." Colin began, his voice shaky and weak. "What happened to Link?" The boy's father repressed a sigh. He knew this question would come sooner or later. The man dropped down to the child's eye level. "He's just a little mad today, that's all. We're gonna go find him and fix him up real fast." The young boy shuffled his feet, swinging his arms gently. "Can I help find him?" Rusl let out a small laugh, and raised to his full height. He ruffled the boy's hair gently while replying gently. "You're a tad young still, but come, you can help me pack."

-Hey! Listen!-

The cold air of twilight burned with a tang of sharpness as Link inhaled it sharply. The large wolf stretched his limbs farther than he thought possible, muscles bounding as he moved swiftly through the trees. Link narrowed his eyes as he skid past Faron Spring in a matter of seconds. That place used to be a safe haven for him. He might have stopped, even in the situation he was in, had he not a dire destination in mind. If he could get to Hyrule Field, he just had to backtrack and head back to the village, get the light arrow and explain everything without getting caught.

Link had no doubts that the village would set out after him as soon as possible. He remembered passing poor Epona on his way out of the village. She had simply watched him race by without a single explanation. The large wolf skid slightly on fallen leaves as he shifted slightly to stay on the path to Hyrule Field. He vividly remembered everything in these woods. The oil shop, the random caves, the poison gas... Even the Forest Temple was a point of nostalgia for him.

Link shook his head. If he was going to stay alive, he would have to keep his wits. Midna wasn't here, though it did feel a little better being the blue-eyed-beast at twilight. If he goofed up, there would be no one to heal him after he fell into lava, or fell off a cliff, or if he fell and drowned... Y'know, now that he thought about it, Link did a lot of falling.

No! Link yelled at himself. Stupid thinking like that would get him killed in no time. Link kept running, eyes squinting against the sharp and cold air. Hyrule field was just ahead. There were perks to being a wolf, and he was almost as fast as Epona when he sprinted with all his might. All Link knew was that the crystal was thrilled to be free. The young hero liked to think of it as a person. When he was human, the crystal was all scrunched up and uncomfortable, but when the hero transformed, the crystal got a chance to stretch out and use it's true power.

Link skid to a sudden halt at Hyrule Field. He hadn't even noticed that he crossed the bridge to get there... But he was stunned by what he saw.

Clouds had dispersed to make a fluffy layer of pinks and oranges layered onto a sky of light blues mixed with the dark purples and darker blues. The horizon was coated in a beautiful blend of orange and yellow to make the perfect seam to the very distant trees. The nature blocked off the sun's rays in a shadowy figure of blacks and greys. Never before had Link seen twilight look so fabulous before.

It was practically like Midna was trying to screech at Link from her realm to get his butt in gear. The wolf's ear twitched gently. The rest of the field was vacant. Most remaining monsters had fled after the twilight had fully receded, but the large brute had no doubt he wouldn't have trouble finding more monsters if he really looked for them now. He looked to woods quickly. He really did not want to deal with any monster today. Besides, if he lingered, he would probably get shot by an arrow from Rusl or something.

Link circled back around to catch his breath before diving back into the forest. He would have to take a different path to Ordon. If he took the same path, his prints would show his intent too well. Really, it was the only way. Link had the slight desire to go ask the princess for help, but unless she was doing something in public, there was no way the guards would let him get even a glance at her. Well... Not in wolf form, at least. Many of the guards knew who he was, and many of those even respected him, but if he was a wolf, there was no way.

Link jumped back into the woods. Branches dug into his fur, and the trees crowded in much thicker groups. Everything was so rough and sloppy. Leaves coated the ground messily, and the bushes rustled gently, spilling berries over the covered up grass and leaves. Not far to his left was the path. It was clear and trimmed, but still had a rustic and dirty feeling. It reminded him of his home town and how it was like a diamond in the rough.

Really, he hadn't meant to get so mad... It was just... They didn't understand. The twilight had been dangerous enough without the monsters. It turned people into spirits and darkened the land with no end in sight, but the added monsters didn't exactly help. Link could remember multiple times he had practically died when a fairy brought him back to life. All the loves and friendships he had gone through and witnessed had changed him. It had changed him a lot.

There were also the battles. He remembered the blood pouring out of his own wounds, many other monsters gushing what could be their own form of blood. He could remember chunks of flesh sticking to his sword as he pulled it from their limp bodies and wiped it on the grass. He remembered the visions and nightmares of horrible monsters tearing everything to the ground. He remembered the sting of venom and the feeling of numbness as death's hands took their grip. He remembered all the sickness, and a specific moment when he had lost it and Midna had to hold his hair back for him.

That was probably the worst moment of his entire journey. It was the night before he had the battle with Zant. He didn't know at the time the battle would be the next day, but it was. He had been setting up camp by a small river. He had been reflecting on his journey by the small trickle of water when the worst moments came up. Midna was able to hold a non-shadow form because it was about twilight, but she didn't notice the hero drifting off.

Innocent deaths, Ilia forgetting him, and even squeals of pain and agony from mindless enemies got to him. They didn't deserve it... The small and common ones. But those didn't bug him too much, no, it was the commanders behind it. They were the ones that had forced him to kill them. It was them... Not him...

The Diababa had been gruesome, and it was the first thing he had to face. It's eye had been soft like any eye, but it bounced back. Finally, the veins on the eye burst, exposing the insides as the plant's juices rushed forward. The plant reeled back, and the eye slid out of the monster, coated in what appeared to be blood and morphed into what Midna had been looking for.

The Morpheel was fleshy and soft, bouncing back like the eye from the Diababa until it became the large eel covered in rough spikes. Stabbing the eye was torturous. The final blow had released a jet of shadowy liquid into the water, and had been like stabbing your own leg. Link cringed as he pulled his sword free. He couldn't look anyone in the eyes for days. The eye had bled with the shadowy "blood" violently, exposing the innards of the eye, slimy and slick.

Poor Blizzeta had been hypnotized into her deeds. Link remembered her screams of pain and raw agony clearly from every single hit he made. And the damn spider...

That had been the worst. After it curled up into a ball, he thought it was over. Link could vividly remember the torn and flayed skin that lay scattered around the beast, it's vitala gushing out of it's side in a wet and bloody heap. Fats clung to the skin desperately in slimy strings, grabbing fruitlessly onto the layers of crimson muscles. Yellow and sticky slime coated the ground, a disgusting layer of bodily fluids from the monster.

The hero had turned away, sheathed his sword and prepared to leave when about twenty more little spiders crawled out of the beast. They were small and slimy, fur matted. With each one he killed, the room became more of a mess. When he was finished, the room smelled metallic and tainted with the distinct and rich scent of blood. It took all of the will Link had not to vomit there and then.

It was too much now. The flayed skin, the death, the gore... The torture others and himself especially had to endure... Link leaned over the small and gushing river, giving up the contents of his lunch. This managed to get Midna's attention, and she darted over as quickly as she could to hold his hair back from his face. Her form wavered slightly as twilight began to fade. "It's okay..." She whispered softly, patting the hero's back gently as he started to recover. "We'll be fine..."

Moral of the story: They didn't get it. The villagers simply didn't understand that every moment of Link's adventure was complete and total agony for him. When he returned, he refused to let go of a sword at all times. He still wore his hero's tunic and carried a sword and shield to this day. For the first time in his life, Link felt as alienated from his own village as he was from any random stranger. He didn't belong there, and he had experiences they didn't. It was just plain weird.

Link padded through the woods, making his way to the village, letting his thoughts drift to his journey. He missed Midna... If she was here, he might be a human again already. But she wasn't, so Link would have to settle for looking into the sunset and praying she could sense him.

A sudden snap broke the hero's train of thought. The wolf's head swung quickly to see what had been the cause of the noise, his ears perched high on his head. There, through just a few branches of coverage was Epona, and on her was Rusl perched on her proudly. He had stopped to look around, and to rest Epona for a moment.

Crap... The young hero's mind raced with two options in his mind. If Link moved, he would be heard immediately... But if he stayed put, he might get spotted. The best thing to do was probably to lay low and hope not to get spotted. It shouldn't be that hard. All he would have to do is lower his crouch and maybe shift his position. Link began to lower his crouch, and moved his feet slightly. A particularly slimy leaf slid dangerously under his foot. Link struggled to keep his balance, but he lost the battle.

With a loud thunk and the sounds of rustling leaves, the wolf tumbled onto his side roughly. Rusl's head snapped to look at him immediately. The man pulled out his bow with practiced efficiency. The young hero took note that the arrows were coated in a blue liquid that smelled odd. The wolf took no time in scrambling to his paws and bolting for Hyrule Field. If anywhere, that would be the best place to loose Rusl, right?

Epona reared up on two legs with a loud whinny. Link didn't need ears to feel her hoof beats on the ground behind him. Knowing there was no other way to get to the field in time, Link slid over to the path and pounded as fast as he could to the plains. Epona's hooves shook the ground gently with a rhythmic pounding behind wolf. Rusl was shouting something, but Link couldn't hear him. All he was focused on was not getting trampled.

Link could hear Epona getting closer and closer. His mind raced with fear as he moved faster than ever before. His wolf instincts kicked in, propelling him even farther. He had to get away! Kill or be killed! The field was just ahead, he could see it... The twilight had since retreated to darkness, but he could still see the horizon clearly illuminated in the dark.

He was almost there. He heard the taught string of a bow being released. He felt the biting sharpness of an arrow digging into his shoulder. The wolf's eyes drooped. His legs fell numb, and he crashed to the ground in a heap. darkness swarmed his vision. The humming of bees intruded his ears. It was so loud...

With that, the hero of all Hyrule gave in to the bliss of unconsciousness.

-Hey! Listen!-

 **3,200 words. Huh. Not bad at all...**

 **Hahaha, cliffhang!**

 **Before I go, I want to ask you all something important regarding how the story is being written. This chapter was written with larger chunks of text together. Do you prefer this, or the method I used in the previous chapter? I'm just curious what you like to look at more.**

 **Much love, and I'll see you next Sunday.**

 **-Kreignreign**


	3. Chapter 3

_**No real warning this time, but a VERY mild trigger warning for the depressed.**_

 _ **Hey!**_

 _ **Look!**_

 _ **Listen!**_

 _ **A/N:**_ **Two weeks late, whaaat? Nooo! Not me!**

 **Okay, I'm sorry this is so late. Basically shiz is going down in my life, so I haven't had time for this, but I'm not dead. Yet.**

 **NoSignalBlueScreen: Your advice never fails me. No warning here, heh... I hope the balance here is just as good as last chapter. ^-^' For those who read this, good for you reading author's notes, and the story will be about 4 more chapters. You now have a heads up! Yay!**

 **lockbird: Yes. Exucuuse me princess will be everywhere soon. SOON.**

 **Thanks to: Many guests, UndeadOctopus, lockbird, Rex888, NoSignalBlueScreen, NerdFighterDFTBA, kittycat1810, and Kitty Lue for your AMAZING reviews! AGhh! I wish I could type custom responses to you all!**

 _-Hey! Listen!-_

Black spots danced weakly in front of the hero's eyes. Muted voices broke through the silence. They sounded hostile, strangely enough. Blobs of pink moved in front of him in slow motion, moving around, blurry and slightly lagging. The muffled sounds undoubtedly did not match the movements he saw. The large wolf blinked his eyes a few times, attempting to clear his foggy vision. The the patches of darkness retreated, and his eyes tried to focus and then unfocused again several times. Eventually, Link was able to make out individual faces and voices from the jumble of senses.

Rusl was there. Yes, Link knew Rusl. He was always kind. He was the one who had given him a family, and he always had a grin on his face. He looked angry now. Next to him was Ilia. She was also nice. She never cared about anything. She was carefree, and she was always concerned about what's next. She looked so worried and sad. Mayor Bo was off to the side. He was the leader. He was always either stressed out or laughing his days away. He always knew what to do. He seemed lost and confused. With the mayor was Colin. Colin was the innocent one everybody could laugh at because he was just too cute. No, not now. The little boy had a pained look on his face.

Nobody else was there. It was just them. But they weren't themselves. They were strangers now. Lost, confused, hurt strangers that were looking for an answer. But then again, the hero assumed he wasn't exactly himself either. Given the situation, he would probably be just as lost as they were. Their most famed villager, and the one who looked over and protected them, just turned into a wolf in the middle of their peaceful and rural town. He'd be just as freaked out as them if that happened. Terrified, rather.

The hero looked around a little more to clarify his position. Rusl was ranting on about the wolf to the mayor, and while Ilia joined in a few times, she stayed silent. They had yet to notice Link was actually awake, so he took the rest of his little time to think of what he was going to do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to escape yet. He needed the light arrow, and it had to still be in the village. So Link waited and thought.

He was in a cage. The bars were made of wood, and it was fairly large. The wolf could easily stand and turn around without his tail hitting anything. The structure itself looked like it was built in five minutes. It had a flat wooden bottom that was covered in hay. The hero assumed it was supposed to work as bedding. Branches from many different types of trees were nailed to the bottom piece of wood to form the cage, and another sheet of wood covered the top. The branches still had twigs and some leaves attached to them, and Link had no doubts he could snap them in two easily.

 _As if..._ His mind retorted. If he twitched even a muscle the village would be on him like bees to honey. He'd probably get knocked out again and put back in another, more stable, cage. The process would repeat until he couldn't break out, which would be a very bad thing. Hell, they were probably going to upgrade his confinement anyways, break out attempt or not.

 _Well that's not good._

Link didn't care if he could escape the many cages they put him in, but if they actually managed to hold him, who knew what would unfold from there. They would probably accidentally kill him! One slip up and that was it. It would be all over and he'd die trapped in the body of a feral monster. The hero willed his thoughts away. Now was not the time to be thinking negative. That was the sort of thing that could kill him, not his own physical actions. The village would never kill the legendary "Hero of Twilight" on purpose. They still knew it was him, just in a different body, right?

 _Well of course not, Mr. Important Hero._

Link mentally slapped himself. Of course after the twilight overcame Hyrule they would be scared sick by something like this. They probably did think he was possessed by a monster that wanted to kill them all in their sleep. In a way, he was. The crystal showed them obvious distaste, and it did take control of him for a period of time... He just had to keep moving. There was always something next. He had to always work to the next goal.

Either way, Link needed a course of action. He needed something to distract himself. He needed a strategy to work with and make sure he didn't get himself killed or trapped in the form he was in. Link quickly formed a plan. It was rash and probably stupid, but as Midna told him many, many times, that was his specialty. With a swift movement, the hero thwacked his tail against the lining of hay covering the wooden floor. The movement swept dirt in every direction, covering the wolf's hind legs in dust. The young hero resisted the urge to shake the nuisance off.

Nearly immediately all eyes were moved to him. Rusl, Ilia, Colin, Mayor Bo, everyone just stared at him. It was like they expected him to just lay there for another five minutes, while they just stared at him. Link stared back just as plainly. His dark blue eyes sparkled with something dangerous, like he was testing them. Rusl stood up, turning his body toward the cage. Slowly, he approached the weak containment device. He'd admit, it probably wouldn't hold the brute it held, but the wolf wasn't out yet.

Rusl kept moving forward slowly, each footstep landing with a slight thunk on the dirt. The other three villagers only looked on in complete shock. Ilia made a gesture toward the cage, a pleading look in her eyes as she looked to the Rusl. The wolf still didn't move, biding his time. Even the timid Colin managed to speak up, obviously objecting toward this plan. "Dad, what are you doing?" He asked in a shaky and weak voice.

Rusl didn't reply. He just kept moving toward the cage until he was standing directly in front of it. Link remained motionless. One wrong move and that was it. He'd be trapped literally inside himself forever. Nobody moved. The wind's gentle whistling slowed to a halt. The clouds slowed in their path, the air chilled.

 _One wrong move._

Link lunged forward, his body pummeling forward roughly, shoulders forward in a hunched fashion. Still his eyes remained steady. The wolf braced himself to hit the cage wall, and only in a few milliseconds he slowed to a complete halt. Link turned his head, his fur pressing up against the sides of the cage, poking out past the branches of wood. His breathing and eyes remained stable. He had put on a good show. It had looked like he tried to break out, yet failed.

Rusl stumbled back as the wolf approached. It was trying to kill him! Fear overtook Colin and Ilia, and they scrambled backwards as well. Only the mayor managed to keep a clear mind. Bo kept an eye on the wolf as he moved. It had been stopped by the cage. In a fluid motion, he charged forward. With one sweeping motion from his hand, he grabbed Rusl and yanked him back further.

"He's trying to kill me!" Rusl shouted. He was laying on the ground, panting heavily, dirt around him flung up into the air, and only just settling back into irresolute peace. Bo perked up and took a step forward. He crouched down to the taller man, offering him a hand up. Still Link did not move. "I don't think our Link would try to kill you."

"He would kill you if he could."

The mayor and Rusl froze still. The timid Colin had just spoken their minds so clearly, it was almost haunting. The words hung in the air ominously. Could their famed hero... beast... thing... really not escape the cage that the village had thrown together in a panic? It was a vivid memory, one Rusl had no plans on reporting to Link, if they ever got him back.

Rusl had come back into the village rather slowly, Epona dragging the unconscious brute gently through the foliage, rustling the grass noisily as the two walked along. It had been trouble getting him ready to go. The wolf was heavy, and the fact that he had to collapse in the most inconvenient place didn't help. In the end, Rusl gave in and tied the monster's back paws to Epona and let her drag him along.

When Rusl got home, the response had been immediate. Everything else was called off, even a few of the children came down. Of course everyone felt bad, looking down on what was apparently the unconscious body of their savior. Poor Talo even came to look right at the animal, and the first thing he did was ask if it was his fault. It was heartbreaking to see the cocky and upbeat boy seem so down and desperate. Rusl assured him it was not his fault, and hurried him away.

The first thing the village did was build a cage. The children were sent to find sticks, while the adults gathered planks of wood and hay for flooring. The entire village of Ordon expected the wolf to break free immediately. The other children besides Colin and the other adults had locked themselves inside. Ilia, Mayor Bo, Rusl, and the ever stubborn Colin stayed behind to observe the beast.

Leave it to Link to try to attack them right after he left them hanging high and dry. The poor boy practically ran the village, just behind Mayor Bo. Whether the hero had lost his mind or not, the village needed him back without a doubt, and this situation was causing havoc all over. Rusl, however, attempted to focus on the now.

If the wolf really couldn't escape the cage, could it be much of a threat? Was Link's Triforce still protecting him somehow? The man put a hand n his forehead, sliding his hair backwards. None of it made sense. There was no explanation. He looked up to the others, but they too showed no signs of an answer. They all looked deep in thought, trying to untangle the entire situation.

"We should open the cage."

Three pairs of eyes snapped to look at Colin. He was standing there, still quiet, visibly fidgeting slightly under their gaze. Rusl stared in confusion. Let the thing out? What sort of strategy was that? Rusl dropped down, lowering himself to Colin's eye level. If anyone had an idea, it was Colin. Nobody said it had to be a good idea. "Colin..."

Rusl began, now attempting to understand what the boy was saying.

"Why would we let the big wolf out of the cage.

Colin shifted, digging the toes of his sandals into the dirt. "He might be a nice wolf."

"What could give you that idea?"

"He couldn't get out of the cage. He can't be that strong."

Rusl looked up to Mayor Bo and his daughter for support. Could releasing the beast really be the only answer? The two looked just as nervous as Rusl himself. The air's whistling gently disturbed the clearing, the only noise in the silent area. Slowly, Ilia nodded.

"Let him out?" Bo scoffed. "Why should we let a horrible monster out?"

Ilia reached for the cage door, her fingers shaking as she got closer. When she was just a few inches away, she halted suddenly. "Do we have another option?"

No answer.

"Then I vote majority rules."

With that, she gave a small yank, and pulled the door off of the cage containing the monster within.

 _-Hey! Listen!-_

 **A/N:**

 **I am now addicted to cliffhangers. Shortest chapter yet, I'm sorry. I'll be trying to make up the three chapters I missed soon. Sorry I fell off the face of the Earth for awhile...**

 **Reviews are very welcome!**

 **-KreignReign**


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